1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method, a video game device, and a program all of which are for controlling a game, and in particular, to a method, a video game device, and a program, all of which are for changing images displayed in a game according to a manipulation speed of button of a game controller.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various types of card games can be available. In one of these types of card games, each player has, in an individual deck, a plurality of card each of which corresponds to different attributes and different abilities, and puts one or more cards from the deck onto a playing field. Each player is also given a life point (hereinafter, shortened as xe2x80x9cLPxe2x80x9d), and the LP is reduced or incremented based on the difference between the cards provided on the playing field. When the LP is reduced to zero, a game player of the LP loses the game.
Such the card game is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,662,332.
On the other hand, the applicant proposes a card game which is capable of playing in a portable video game device in Japanese Laid Open Publication No. 2000-157744. In the proposed card game, a player firstly selects one or more cards and puts the cards to be predetermined area on a display of the portable video game device. The cards are selected among a plurality of cards which vary in type and each of which has an ability index and a function different from each other.
Then, the cards are compared with cards provided by an opponent (for example, a computer in the portable video game device) and wins or losses are decided based on the difference between the cards of one player and the cards of the other player (opponent). Also, in this game, until either LP of the players becomes to zero, the game is continued.
In addition, another similar card game for playing in a household video game device is also proposed and disclosed in Japanese Laid Open Publication No. 20001-29657. In a card game such as the above proposed game played in the household video game device, the number of the cards can be drastically increased and a variation of functions of the cards can be enhanced, compared with the card game for the portable video game device.
In all of the aforementioned card games, game images are displayed in a game display area on a LCD display device. In addition, a player""s hand area where a player can place his/her own five cards thereon as hand cards is displayed in a lower part of the game display area. On the other hand, an opponent""s hand area where an opponent can place five cards thereon as hand card is displayed in a upper part of the game display area. Furthermore, in a middle part of the game display area other than the player""s hand area and the opponent""s hand area, a table or an arena where a game is played is displayed as a playing field.
When the number of cards in the hand area becomes less than five by putting some of the cards to the playing field, the player (or the opponent) draws cards from a deck and places the cards to the playing field, the player (or the opponent) draws cards from the deck and places the cards on the hand area. In this case, the cards which the player or the opponent draws are selected from his/her own deck randomly. An ability of each of thus selected cards influences confrontation between the player and the opponent in the game.
Cards which are used in one of the above proposed card game includes xe2x80x9cmonster cardsxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cmagic cardsxe2x80x9d, and xe2x80x9clandform cardsxe2x80x9d. Each of the monster cards has predetermined ability of offence and defense. Each of the magic cards effects on monster cards on the playing field, when the magic card is moved to a predetermined position in the playing field from the hand area. Each of the landform cards determines a landform for battle of the playing field and revises the ability of offence and defense of the monster card in the landform.
The above-mentioned monster cards, and landform cards are effective when the cards are places on the playing field, thereby victory or defeat is determined through a battle.
Users can play card game in a similar manner to a real card game by using the above-mentioned portable video game device or the household video game device.
In the real card game, that is, a game which uses xe2x80x9creal cardsxe2x80x9d printed, a player often strains to draw an excellent card from a deck or prays for a good card when a battle situation fails into a critical phase. A card which is obtained by the special action is not always superior to a card obtained by a normal and a calm action. However, the emotional elevation of the player gives a feeling of real playing and a tense feeling to the game, and the player is more excited.
However, in a card using the portable video game device or the household video game device, to draw a card from a deck, a player pushes a button of a game controller connected to a video game device (body) instead of drawing a card by a hand. A game program which is loaded into the video game device randomly selects a card from the deck and places the card on a hand area when the button is pushed.
Therefore, when a card game is executed by the use of the above-mentioned video game devices, a player can not realize special actions, such as straining to draw an excellent card and praying for a good card. In consequence, the card game may be calmly progresses without excitement. If the game is progressed as above, the game lacks a feeling of real playing and a tense feeling and a player of the game feels the game is not interesting.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a video game control method and a video game device, both of which can control to change a card which is drawn by a player, in consideration of excitement of the player.
It is another object of this invention to provide a method and a device of the type described, which can introduce a degree of excitement into the video game in the form of a manipulation speed of a button of a game controller connected to the video game device.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a video game control method and a video game device which can determine a card which is drawn according to a comparison between the pushing speed of the button of the game controller and an averaged pushing speed which is calculated by averaging out previous pushing speeds of the button of the game controller.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a video game control method and a video game device which can determine a card which is drawn according to a comparison between the pushing speed of the button of the game controller and a predetermined speed.
It is another object of the invention to provide a video game control method and a video game device which can determine a card which is drawn according to a comparison between the pushing speed of the button of the game controller and a predetermined speed.
It is another object of the invention to provide a vide game control method and a video game device which can control so that a card determined according to the pushing speed of the button of the game controller is a new card which does not exist in a deck.
Therefore, a video game control method and a video game device of the invention detect player""s manipulation of analog buttons of a game controller and compute a speed of the manipulation (pushing) of the buttons to control drawing card according to the computation result.
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of controlling a game, in a computer, by using a plurality of sorts of elements. The method comprises the steps of detecting a player""s inputting operation, determining the sort of element in response to the player""s operation, and displaying the determined sort of element on a monitor. And wherein, when a situation of the game becomes a predetermined situation, the determining step determines the sort of element based on the difference between a speed of the player""s operation and a predetermined speed.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a video game device performing a game using a plurality of sorts of elements. The device comprises a detecting unit which detects a player""s inputting operation, a storage device which stores a predetermined speed, a determining unit which detects the sort of element in response to the player""s operation, and a displaying unit which displays the determined sort of element on a monitor. And wherein, when a situation of the game becomes a predetermined situation, the determining unit determines the sort of element based on the difference between a speed of the player""s operation and the predetermined speed.
According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a program product comprising, computer readable instructions and a recording medium bearing the computer readable instructions; the instructions being adaptable to enable a computer to perform a method of controlling a game, in a computer, using a plurality of sorts of elements. The method comprises the steps of detecting a player""s inputting operation, determining the sort of element in response to the player""s operation, and displaying the determined sort of element on a monitor. And wherein, when a situation of the game becomes a predetermined situation, the determining step determines the sort of element based on the difference between a speed of the player""s operation and a predetermined speed.